Continuing on with my week of positive posts, one thing that I’ve learned about life is that you have to find the good in every day if you want to be happy. Even on the worst days, when your paper bag full of shopping bursts in the rain, and your umbrella breaks, and your shoes are wet and you’ve mascara dripping down your face – there’s still something to be happy about.
Once you start searching for the good in every day, the good things will start coming to you naturally. It’s all about being able to recognise what’s good and when it’s happening. For example, if you were waiting 25 minutes for a bus in the rain (I really hate the rain), be angry for a few seconds about having to wait so long, then once you get on the bus and sit down, be happy that a bus finally came and that you have a seat, and that there’s probably six people standing downstairs. Or, if you’re dreading work and feel like the day will never end, make something to look forward to. Make yourself a really nice lunch, or plan to meet your friends after work for dinner to get you through the shift.
Or if you’re having a good day, still recognise the good things as they happen. Yesterday I was in a pretty good mood after finishing work and going to my granny’s for dinner. Then she brought out croquettes (my absolute fave) and I was in an event better mood! It sounds silly but being able to see the good things in life is so important, because sometimes we’re so focused on the negative that we don’t see the positive.
Writing down the positive things as they happen, or at the end of the day, is really helpful and is proven to increase happiness. I used to use the app, Gratitude, to write them down, but now they come so naturally to me that I don’t have to take note of them anymore. It’s easy to see things in a negative light, but once you flip the switch in your brain and start to see things positively, you’ll never look back. It takes time and practice, but choosing to see the good in every day and choosing to be positive is one of the best things I have ever done, if not the best thing.